29.10.09 @Queen Of Hoxton, London

Writing this review I'm still getting teary-eyed. This was no gig, this was a soul soft porn. There was love in the air, sweat running down the walls and tears on the dancefloor.
Andrew Cohen aka Mayer Hawthorne looks like Buddy Holly and sounds like Smokey Robinson AND The Miracles.
And I have to admit with lyrics like "I may not be a rich attorney, but i'll win back girl's heart in the trial of love" he had not only turned my legs to jelly.
It was like a one hour slingshot to the 60s: the style, the music, the gestures.
But the funniest thing was, he didn't take himself seriously, and that's what made the show authentic.
For instance playing a reggae version of "Just ain't gonna work out":



I guess we will hear a lot more from Andrew Cohen.
And I'm looking forward to his next "character".

Uh!
Still can´t believe, getting to the real Drone-Concert of L.A. Proud ISIS at about 9 pm and just catching the last 3 Songs... How bad was it, please?!?!
O.K. the entry was at 7, but ... I expected wired Rock-Freaks, smoking crack and heroine on stage, rockin´ like hell, starting late untill 3 in the morning.... What I saw was entertainment at its finest. Crystal clear sounds, sylish stageshow and very... intellectual audience...listening, dreamring, eyes closed and body swaying slowly!
Technical perfect music, remebering me of TooL, but...
Thats not what I need...live... not enough...
No Rock´n Roll Bangbang!!!!
Sorry, but I will wait for the next Studio-Album!

22.10.09 @Royal Albert Hall, London

Hush is a series of events hosted by the Royal Albert Hall, to give independent records labels or unsigned artists a platform. This first gig of the new "hush" series, was supported by Music Week's UNEARTHED. And they made a good choice, you should watch out for the following three artists in 2010.

Jose Vanders
This 19 year old girl is sweet as sugar and so is her music. Lovely and light piano tunes with a surprisingly strong voice. Where she takes her mature and imaginative lyrics from, will probably remain her secret. Hopefully she will keep her fervour as it was beautiful to behold.

http://josevanders.com/




Jonathan Jeremiah
Get in you Hippie van, drive down an endless desert highway whilst the sun sets down and you'll know what his music feels like. Or least try to imagine all that sunset-driving-stuff. It smells like summer, it sounds like freedom, it looks like Woodstock. I like!

http://www.jonathanjeremiah.com/




Alan Pownall
I used to listen to his myspace stuff before I went to the gig. Versatile folk, very nice, but I presume he will be doomed to be known as the British Jack Johnson. Hopefully not, because I'm not sure what he was thinking, when he went on stage to perform. I can't remember the last time I was just breathless and paralyzed by a performance (probably Art Brut, but because of other reasons). It was only him playing the guitar and it was stunning. Absolutely stunning. And one thing is sure: don't try to compare him with anybody.

http://www.myspace.com/alanpownall

27.10.09 @Hoxton Bar&Kitchen, London

It has to be a natural advantage when you form a band in Alaska. It looks like there is nothing more to do than practicing and writing unbelievable good songs. And watch them perform was definitely the positive proof. I expected them to be good, but I didn't expect them to be THAT good. First of all they played none of their songs like it's on the record. Sometimes it took me minutes to find out, which one it was. It was more like being in their rehearsal room, watching them playing a jam session. Secondly every single band member is just ridiculous talented. You could feel and hear that it's more than just play an instrument. They made love, hell ya. And thirdly there are no words to describe their style. From rock to folk to blues to soul to punk, one thing unified every song: the groove. And this is the difference between love and sex. The right groove.

Portugal The Man Live from Chicago from Portugal The Man on Vimeo.

19.10.09 @Sheperd's Bush Empire, London

Remember the movie "The Fly"? Jeff Goldblum steps into the Teleporter and merges with a fly that had slipped into it, before the door closed.
What would happen if Gladys Knight, Al Green and the Four Tops would step into this Teleporter? They will merge and become Raphael Saadiq, no doubt.
He is a hell of an entertainer and combines Motown soul with tough and funky beats. In total it leaves a pleasurable warm feeling in your stomach, goosebumps all over your skin and cotton candy clouds in your head. The girls went crazy, the guys were jealous, but at the end they all left knowing, that this was pure love in its best suit.

Raphael Saadiq - Let's Take A Walk from Vitalini on Vimeo.

Good ol´ Hamburg, I still won´t grow adult
(Fuck off classical music)!
This CD release-party of Kongo Skulls second album "Perfect Suicide" was great! Schweinerock, finest!!
I do know, there´s a lot of creative energie never to get known by the masses. But really seldom I hope, that the "dog-god of Rock´n Roll" focus its eyes on some underdog like KS... and make them...
ROCKSTARS
This band started up dirty, they continued dirty, and it´s expected that ... they will die dirty!!!
...just can add...
I love it, bugger!!!

16.10.09 @Sadler's Wells Theatre, London

And now for something completely different. A ballet.
Yes, I grow old, but it's not like this "I need distinguished entertainment and prefer a glass of wine rather than beer in a plastic cup" midlife crisis idea. It's just a ballet.

Between 1909 - 1929 "Les Ballets Russes" was one of the most influential companies around the world. The combination of contemporary choreographers, composers and artists created a new art of performing dance and has set a standard that lasts to this day. Inspired by Sergei Diaghilev, the founder of "Les Ballets Russes", four groundbreaking choreographers created four pieces to pay tribute to him and show that his idea of collaboration is still important.

Dyad 1909
There are always both sides of story. Darkness and light, revolution and oppression, love and hate. Wayne McGregor plays with opposites supported by the outstanding musician Olafur Arnalds. The soft piano tunes, melancholic strings and threatening electronic sounds accompany the choreography as well as the stage and costume design.

After Light
Sometimes it doesn't need more than a spotlight, a piano and one dancer to create a real masterpiece. Russell Maliphant's "After Light" should be seen as such. The graphical light design combined with Erik Saties music is the perfect platform for an amazing performance by Daniel Proietto. These three elements mesh so well, it's like a painting brought to life and like a performance where you could take every second as a painting.

Faun
It's cute, it's beautiful, it's like morning dew drops on a leaf. It's like a Midsummer night's dream composed by Claude Debussy.

Eternal Damnation to Sancho and Sanchez
Six people doing weird things on stage. You can call it performing art. Or you call it overblown arty farty stuff.
Violence and sex mixed with religion may have been shocking in the 80ies, I guess.

01.10.09 @Proud Camden, London

If you talk about "Jail Guitar Doors" most of the people think of the Clash song. A few people know that this song is about the MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer (who had to go to jail because of drugs). From now on it will be also known as an initiative by Billy Bragg. He sets up guitar workshops for prisoners to help them achieving rehabilitation with the power of their own music. Alright, nice idea. But does it work?
Yes it does. And how it works, shows "Breaking Rocks" a documentary from Alan Miles. It tells the story of the initiative and features performances by graduates and inmates. It's really touching how this piece proofs the fact that making music can help to process problems and facing them.
On top of the screening two of the graduates were playing a few songs and also Chris Shiflett from the Foo Fighters, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly and of course Billy Bragg.
Johnny Neesom seemed very shy in a likable way and sounds a bit like The Streets unplugged. Hopefully his song "I wanna fuck your girlfriend" will be his first single, I'm looking forward to it. The other graduate Leon Walker obviously enjoyed the stage and did a few of his "down-to-earth" folk songs. Unfortunately Chris Shiflett was a bit disappointing, I would say that folk isn't really his cup of tea. Let's put it this way: it wasn't annoying, but it didn't attract attention either. But there was Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. Sam Duckworth and his band literally blew away the audience with their performance. This electronic influenced folk he does on his albums turned out to be a funky folk punk rock mix on stage. It looked like he played for his life and his band did their best to support him with horns, keyboards and drums.
Last but not least Billy Bragg went on stage and showed everyone why his music career has lasted for over 30 years. His folky protest songs are more than ever topical. And if someone tells his topics with so much fervour, you have to listen. And you will think about it.
And we all had a lot to think about after this night.

http://www.jailguitardoors.org.uk/

18.09.09 @Jazz Café, London

If there was one thing I've learned that night at the Jazz Café, it was the fact that the real Hip Hop attitude is something native. It's nothing you can pretend to have.
These guys have been in show-business for over 30 years now and they haven't lost none of their power and style.
It could have been one of those gigs where you watch some mid-fifty guys and just feel embarrassed for them whilst they try to bring "the good old days" back. And trust me, I went to see Ice T. a few years ago, I know what I'm talking about.
But Kurtis Blow, Melle Mel, Kid Creole, Scorpio and Rahiem looked and sounded like they have been frozen in the New York Hip Hop era, it was absolutely unbelievable.
"Is Hip Hop still in the building?" They wouldn't have needed the audience to answer that question.
From "The Breaks" to "The Message" and "White Lines" they performed every hit and all you could do was singing along, moving to the beat and waving everything possible in the air.
I used to watch Beat Street, Wild Style and Krush Groove for about a hundred times and I've listened to all that old school stuff over and over again. Always wondering what it was like going to a real block or house party. But unfortunately I was just born, the time they invented Hip Hop.

I'm more than happy that they decided to come back on stage again and gave me an impression what these days must have felt like. The perfect beat with a message. Hip Hop is still in the building, that's for sure.

All people in England or elsewhere...listen!
This Band from the UK is the heaviest band on earth, really!!!
If you have the possibility to join a concert, and you might think it´s a good day for a real deep abyss... go, the hell!
This music is slow, deep and dark! The feeling during the gig was like inbetween digging in the dirt and sticking in the sludge...or sucking the sound of Black Sabbath... some kind of borderline experience!!!
Still got the dim feeling that Electric Wizard is not from our planet...
Probably I´m right!